John 11
With our head pastor and associate pastor both out of town, our youth pastor was given an opportunity to preach in big church this week and gave a great sermon.
Let’s start by asking the question: who is Jesus? That’s what John does. His Gospel was written to help others believe that Jesus is the Messiah (John 20:30-31).
In John chapter 11 we find the story of Lazarus, where Jesus raises him from the dead
Scene One: Jesus hears the message. … Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and near death. Jesus says the sickness will not end in death and waits two days before going to visit Lazarus and his sisters. Jesus is going to use this situation as a way to teach others about His authority.
Scene Two: Jesus comforts. … When Jesus arrives, Lazarus is dead and has been dead for four days. Martha and Mary are devastated and grieving. Martha confronts Jesus and says that if He had come sooner, Lazarus would have lived. Jesus says that Lazarus will rise again and Martha believes Him but doesn’t fully understand. She thinks Jesus refers to the resurrection at the last day. Of course, that is also part of the meaning of Jesus’ answer, but the next scene reveals a more immediate answer. Then Mary came out and met Jesus and, like her sister, expressed that she believed that Jesus could have kept her brother from dying. Then she takes Jesus to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried.
Scene Three: Jesus raises Lazarus. … Jesus orders for the tomb to be opened. No one else thinks this is a good idea because the rotting corpse will have quite an awful stench. “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’” so they opened the tomb and Jesus thanks the Father out loud so everyone can hear so that they might believe that He was sent by the Father. Then Jesus commands Lazarus to come out of the tomb and Lazarus gets up and walks out.
Scene Four: The plot to kill Jesus. … Many of the Jews there saw this miracle and believed in Jesus. Some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. The Pharisees held a meeting and decided Jesus was a security risk for the Jewish people. So they plotted to kill Jesus before He could gain a big enough following that the Roman government would have to act on it.
Takeaways:
God’s timing is always perfect. … Everyone else in this story thought Jesus’ timing was off, but His timing was perfect and gave Him the chance to show His authority in a magnificent way.
God’s purposes might be accompanied with pain. … Just because we believe in God, doesn’t mean we will never have pain in our lives. Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were all believers but they experience physical and emotional pain. This pain ultimately led to great rejoicing. The Lord can do whatever He pleases even if it never occurs to us.
God cares even if we don’t understand. … Jesus clearly cared for this family. They didn’t understand why He didn’t come sooner, but Jesus did care for them and He had a purpose in His delay. In John 16:33 Jesus tells His disciples and us that we will have trouble in the world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world. He cares for us.
God’s power still raises the dead. … He did it then and still does it now. We were all once spiritually dead, but those of us who have accepted Him as Savior, we have been given new spiritual life that lasts for eternity.